Canadian Government - "So Mr Taxpayer, remember when we told you that the Interim Australian Fighters that we need to bridge a non-existant fighter gap would only cost us about $500 million?"
Taxpayer - "Yes"
Canadian Government - "we'll that parts true, kinda, but our plan to extend the life of our CF-18's that's gonna cost you."
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politi...8-4f19875acee8
Quote:
Canadians could be paying more than $1.5 billion extra as the operating life of the military’s aging CF-18 fighter jets is extended for another 14 years.
The jets were to be taken out of service after 2025, but as Postmedia recently reported, delays in the Liberal government’s plan to buy replacements means the jets will need to continue operating until 2032. While the Department of National Defence says it still has yet to figure out how much that will cost, a December 2014 report produced by DND and the Canadian Forces raised concerns about further extending the life of the CF-18s.
“Rough order of magnitude incremental costs for an Estimated Life Expectancy of 2030 are just over $1.5 billion and are primarily due to the requirement for a new structural life extension program needed to enable the CF-18 to be flown beyond its current safe life,” said the report, which was prepared for the previous Conservative government.
That roughly $1.5 billion would be on top of the $500 million the Liberal government has set aside to buy 18 used Australian F-18s as a stop-gap until it can acquire new planes.
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